People using safely managed sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: People using safely managed sanitation services was 25.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
People using safely managed sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, people using safely managed sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 25.9%. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using safely managed sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 25.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 15.8%, in 2000.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 28th out of 30 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
People using safely managed sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15.8% | — |
| 2001 | 16.0% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 16.3% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 16.7% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 17.0% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 17.4% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 17.8% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 18.3% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 18.7% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 19.1% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 19.5% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 19.8% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 20.2% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 20.7% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 21.1% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 21.6% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 22.1% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 22.6% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 23.1% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 23.6% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 24.2% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 24.7% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 25.3% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 25.6% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 25.9% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.3% | 15.8% | 19.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.4% | 19.5% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.2% | 24.2% | 25.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 3.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0023 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, annual growth rate 3.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0026 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1997 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 3.5 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using safely managed sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- People using safely managed sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa was 25.9% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest people using safely managed sanitation services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 25.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest people using safely managed sanitation services recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.8% in 2000.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for people using safely managed sanitation services?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 28th out of 30 groups with data for 2024.
- Is people using safely managed sanitation services rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of People using safely managed sanitation services (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of people using improved sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households and where excreta are safely disposed of in situ or transported and treated offsite. Improved sanitation facilities include flush/pour flush to piped sewer systems, septic tanks or pit latrines: ventilated improved pit latrines, composting toilets or pit latrines with slabs.